Ireland 32 Scotland 14:In the end Ireland was running every play at a ragged, defeated opposition. While Scotland started brightly and took the lead in the opening exchanges, the longer the match went on the more the Scots frayed around the edges. At the end Max Evans even had to resort to a trip, which drew a yellow card, to stop Keith Earls steaming down the right for what looked like a certain try.
As it unfolded Ireland scored four tries anyway, three in the first half from Rory Best, Eoin Reddan and Andrew Trimble and one more at the end of the game, when replacement Fergus McFadden reached in under the posts.
It leaves Ireland with two wins, a draw and a defeat from four games with England to play in Twickenham next weekend.
An early penalty converted by Craig Laidlaw ensured Ireland began chasing the match from four minutes in. Six minutes later when Gordon D’Arcy was judged to have come in from the side Laidlaw added three more.
Those opening 15 minutes framed what Scotland has been good at and what is also one of their failures. They dominated territory forcing Irish tacking to be at its best and they spun the ball wide but there was a woeful lack of real penetration at the end of it.
An early shaky Irish scrum tightened up considerably and from Ireland’s first offensive lineout five metres out captain Rory Best shot a jolt of energy into the crowd with a training ground move.
His throw to the excellent Donnacha Ryan found Peter O’Mahony via Donncha O’Callaghan. Instead of feeding it across the pitch the flanker went short side back to Best, who used his bulk to muscle over in the corner. Sexton found the extra points from an acute angle, added another three from a penalty and from trailing Ireland took to the front and led 10-9 after 32 minutes.
But the final 10 minutes of the first half was top provide two more tries as the sides struggled to dominate territory or shape the game in their favour.
Reddan added to Ireland’s score when he took the ball after Cian Healy had romped up the left wing. Good fortune and Scotland bumbling then combined to allow Reddan spin on the ground with the ball as Sean Lamont and Mike Blair hit each other and opened a gap for the scrumhalf to scamper through, avoiding the clutches of flanker Dave Denton on the way.
Sexton’s penalty took Ireland to 17-9 and it looked a reasonable way to go into half-time. But the impressive Richie Gray had other ideas and four minutes later he burst through Reddan on the Irish 22.
While Rob Kearney drifted over he was asked to cover Gray and Sean Lamont. A dummy pass was enough to shift the Irish fullback and Gray took his try. With barely time to take breath Ireland launched another offensive move, this time Kearney making the break. While he could have released outside to the right he cut in and went into contact. Redden recyled out to Andrew Trimble on the right wing.
It looked like a mass of blue in front of the Ulsterman but Trimble propelled himself into the bodies and miraculously came out the far side for a try in the corner. Four tries, three of them for Ireland and the half closed at 22-14.
That was the best of the rugby as the second half stuttered along without Scotland looking in any way threatening. Gray with ball in hand did cause a few tremors but Ireland played with more authority without ever really having to reach for the high notes.
A cross-field kick from Sexton on 49 minutes matched Tommy Bowe with Graeme Morrison. Bowe came down with the ball but wrestled over the try line his double movement ruled out the score.
A Trimble collision with Lee Jones forced the Scottish winger out of the match and Sexton kept the scoreboard moving with another penalty on 71 minutes for 25-14.
Both sides emptied the benches but Scotland were beaten in just about every area, the scrum, lineout and strike running. McFadden was barely on the pitch when he scored his try to make 32-14.
It was what Ireland deserved for their enterprise and should give some momentum heading towards London next weekend.
Scoring sequence: 4 mins:G Laidlaw pen 0-3; 10 mins:Laidlaw pen 0-6; 14 mins:R Best try, J Sexton con 7-6; 26 mins:Sexton pen 10-6; 32 mins:Laidlaw pen 10-9; 33 mins:E Reddan try, Sexton com 17-9; 33 mins: R Gray try 17-14; 40 mins:A Trimble try 22-14 Halftime. 71 mins:Sexton pen 25-14; 77 mins:F McFadden try, Sexton con 32-14.
IRELAND:R Kearney; T Bowe, K Earls, G D'Arcy, A Trimble; J Sexton, E Reddan; C Healy, R Best (capt), M Ross, D O'Callaghan, D Ryan, S Ferris, J Heaslip, P O'Mahony.
Replacements:T Court for Healy (50 mins), S Cronin for Best, T O'Leary for Reddan, R O'Gara for D'Arcy (all 54 minutes), C Healy for Court (58 mins), S Jennings for P O'Mahony (62 mins), F McFadden for Kearney (73 mins), T Court for M Ross, M McCarthy for D O'Callaghan (both 78 mins).
SCOTLAND:S Hogg; L Jones, M Evans, G Morrison, S Lamont: G Laidlaw, M Blair; A Jacobsen, R Ford, G Cross, R Gray, J Hamilton, J Barclay, D Denton, R Rennie.
Replacements:E Murray for G Cross (46 mins), C Cusiter for Blair (49 mins), R Jackson for Laidlaw (56 mins), R Vernon for Rennie (58 mins), A Kellock for Hamilton (59 mins), M Scott for Jones (62 mins).
Referee: C Pollack(New Zealand)
